What a surprisingly good book. The autobiography of O G S Crawford, a 20th century archaeologist. An eccentric if ever there was one but someone who advanced and popularised his field of study greatly. But this is no dry academic book. Mr Crawford was in a circle of luminaries of his day. Friends with H G Wells and Orwell amongst many others. The author deserves much credit for telling his story and putting it so well into context including the First and Second World Wars and the Great Depression. Mr Crawford, quite expectedly given his profession, left a huge record to follow. He was a pioneer archaeological photographer. So the author had much material on which to work. But she's done more. She has researched widely and importantly she gives it all a personal touch by being as opinionated as her subject. ( )

Biography of the first Archaeology Officer of the Ordnance Survey; a man of great significance to me because he was one of the founders of landscape archaeology and he lived and worked in the places of my childhood. Kitty Hauser takes a personal approach to her subject's papers, drawing from cultural history, literature, and experience. The result is a sympathetic portrait of a cantankerous and gifted man. ( )